5 Pairs Of Wrestlers From WWE's New Generation Era That Were Close Backstage (& 5 That Hated Each Other)

The WWE's New Generation was not the most successful era in the company's history. Factors that played into that were a star exodus after the booming Golden Era, bad publicity from the steroid scandal, bad creative (just think of Duke 'the Dumpster' Droese or Mantaur) and unhealthy backstage politics.

RELATED: 10 Minor Characters From WWE's New Generation Era Fans Still Remember

Especially in 1994 and 1995, the famous Kliq ran wild in WWE. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. There was a whole host of cliques and groups and their interactions. The following are five pairs of wrestlers from the New Generation era that loved each other - and five pairs of wrestlers that couldn't stand each other.

10 Love: Shawn Michaels and Diesel

At the risk of stating the obvious: the Two Dudes With Attitudes got along just swell. Not only were Shawn and Diesel extremely close, they were also the two biggest stars in the Kliq. It was really their friendship - and subsequent connection with Scott Hall and Sean Waltman - that turned the Kliq into the powerful backstage politics powerhouse.

9 Hated: Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart

Again, an obvious choice but also one example of how the formation of the Kliq changed relationships. Shawn and Bret had gotten along just fine until the Kliq began their ascend. The rivalry of Shawn and Bret really defined the New Generation era. By the end of it, there was only room for one of them in the WWE - and we all know how that ended.

8 Loved: The Undertaker and Yokozuna

While bitter rivals on-screen, The Undertaker and Yokozuna became good friends behind the scenes. As the Kliq began to come to power, the two also began to surround themselves with their own clique, called the BSK - Bone Street Krew.

RELATED: 5 Best Promos WWE's New Generation Era (& 5 Worst)

Members of the group included Fatu/Rikishi, Henry Godwinn, and Savio Vega. But the heart and soul were the Deadman and Yokozuna.

7 Hated: Razor Ramon and Goldust

One reason Scott Hall portrayed Razor Ramon so well was because it showed part of his character. The real-life Scott Hall was not short of machismo - which was probably one reason why Hall didn't like working with Goldust. Dustin Rhodes was embracing the Goldust gimmick and didn't mind messing with an unprepared Hall. The two didn't get along during their brief program in 1996 and relations only improved after Hall left the company.

6 Loved: Steve Austin and Brian Pillman

During Brian Pillman's short WWE run, his biggest nemesis was arguably Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin broke (read: pillmanized) Brian's ankle which lead to the infamous 'Pillman's got a gun' angle. In real life, however, the two were best of friends. To this day, Austin wears the golden chain that Brian gifted him during their WCW days.

5 Hated: Bam Bam Bigelow and Doink

Matt Osborne's portrayal of the evil Doink the Clown was legendary. Much like Hall's portrayal of Razor Ramon, the gimmick of the evil clown fit Osborne to a tee: the technical in-ring wizard that was internally tormented and downright crazy was not far off from the truth. When the WWE made the baffling decision to turn Doink babyface and work with Bam Bam Bigelow, the latter wasn't happy.

RELATED: 10 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About WWE's New Generation Era

Osborne's unpredictability plus an apparent slide down the card caused Bigelow and Osborne to clash. According to Osborne, Bigelow was even the one telling officials about Osborne's drug use in an attempt to get Matt fired. It worked a charm, and while Bigelow still worked with Doink until until Wrestlemania X, at least he was working with his friend and Osborne's replacement, Ray Apollo.

4 Loved: Bam Bam Bigelow and Bret Hart

While Bigelow had his issues with Borne - and later the Kliq - one other wrestler he got along very well with was the Hitman, Bret Hart. The two respected each other and loved working with each other in the ring as they had incredible chemistry - so much so that Bret requested his match against Bigelow from Barcelona in 1993 be included in his DVD set.

3 Hated: Vader and Shawn Michaels

During his time as WWE champion, Shawn Michaels was not easy to deal with. One well-known example of Shawn's backstage influence and bad temper is his feud with Vader. Vader was one of the best big men in pro wrestling at the time and the WWE had high hopes for him.

At Summerslam 1996, he challenged Shawn for the title in what was supposed to be the first match of a trilogy. Only, it wasn't. Shawn hated working with Vader and considered him too stiff. He would complain backstage about Vader's work and yell at him even in the ring - so much so that the sensitive big man became scared for his job. In the end, Shawn got his way and Vader was replaced by Sid Vicious for the rest of the program.

2 Loved: Bret Hart and The Undertaker

While both men had their own clique (Bone Street Krew and the Hart family and other dungeon graduates) these two also had a lot of respect for each other and loved working together. Both, the Undertaker and the Hitman, have talked highly about each other. Also, both men ultimately tried to keep the Kliq at bay - which didn't really work out.

1 Hated: Ahmed Johnson and the Roster

It may be a little exaggerated to say that Ahmed Johnson had no friends in the locker room - but there were a lot who didn't like working with him or had issues with him. The list is long: he fought D'lo Brown and almost got into a tussle with The Rock, and he injured Faarooq and The Sultan (Rikishi), among others. His promos were so bad that the locker room gathered backstage to watch them, and people like Bruce Prichard and Jim Cornette even today immediately respond with 'great googly moogly' whenever his name is brought up because he was so hard to understand.